Chronicles of Ruthvien Ashild

The days passed slowly in the cold cell. Every hour and every moment that passed increased my boredom.

My only companion, an old man, never stopped talking.His voice, rough as rock, filled the silent void, telling stories that at first seemed crazy to me, but slowly began to intrigue me.

"If only you knew!" the old man began again, his eyes shining with the experience of years and his own madness. "This kingdom hides secrets beyond your imagination. The kingdom...The kingdom of Krothia... is not what it seems."

His words were sometimes interrupted by a dry cough, but his enthusiasm did not waver. "Behind the walls of the capital, the most horrific experiments are carried out on humans. They are turned into soulless creatures, emotionless mutants, mere obedient tools in the hands of their power-hungry rulers. They are thrown into battle like wild animals, fighting without hesitation, without fear, without any humanity.""There is a daughter of the king, the daughter of the king of the kingdom of Krothia himself!" The old man continued to recount strange information about the kingdom, then began to talk about rumors he had heard about the royal palace. "There are rumors about her extraordinary ability to use the powers of Ziva. These are tremendous powers that even affect the most powerful wizards of the neighboring kingdom of Garthia. But the painful irony is that she is persecuted because of this power, because the royal family, in their arrogance, hates wizards and despises anyone who possesses powers beyond their control."

"It has even reached the point of cooperation with the invaders, my son! The kingdom of Setra, our ancient enemy, has become an ally in this madness. It is a diabolical collaboration aimed at spreading corruption in this world!" He lowered his voice to a whisper as if the walls themselves might hear. "There are also many rumors about secret organizations moving around a lot lately, and old rumors from years ago about the birth of a savior..."

I thought about what he said for a moment, then shook my head, ignoring his exaggerated passion. "What are you talking about, man? What kingdom are you talking about? Where are we from? We are here, in this dark dungeon, far away from those rumors. I'm just a commoner. What do I care about the rumors of the king's daughter or the affairs of distant kingdoms?"

But the old man paid no attention to me.

Instead, his eyes lit up, and his face showed signs of strange excitement. "You don't understand! You don't understand the horror they are creating! They are creating unnatural beings that know neither pain nor fear. Creatures devoid of feelings, mere killing machines. They don't blink an eye when they kill, they don't hesitate, they feel no remorse." This time, his words carried a different weight, something that struck a sensitive chord in my weary soul.

I began to feel a slight interest in what he was saying. It wasn't pity for these poor humans, or anger at the injustice they were suffering. No. It was something deeper and darker. I saw in his words an opportunity, an opportunity to die.

I wanted to see these creatures, to get close to them, and to end my life at their hands.

It seemed like a strange goal, but it is my only goal now.

I looked him straight in the eye and said in a voice so low I could barely hear myself: "I want to go there."

The old man looked at me in astonishment, as if I had uttered incomprehensible words. "What? Why? Are you crazy?"

"To see them," I said slowly and firmly. "To see these creatures with my own eyes. I want to see what they look like, how they move, how they kill without feeling." My voice carried the same tone of despair as my previous words, but this time it was mixed with a desire to carry out a decisive, irreversible decision.

The old man was shocked and seemed unable to comprehend what he was hearing.

But I was serious. I saw in this idea a solution to my problem. I didn't want to stay alive. No, I wanted to fulfill my wonderful dream of eternal salvation.

I wanted to see the end, even if the price was death at the hands of soulless creatures.